In a follow-up to the previous episode, after Mason admits that his role as the masked man was so that Izumi could toughen up Edward and Alphonse, they observe the strange boy as Izumi wishes to help him. When Ed notices that the boy is starting to use alchemy without a transmutation ring, he confronts him, but an angry Izumi wishes to use a simpler approach. Back at her house in Dublith, Izumi and Sig watch the boy eat. Talking to Winry outside, Ed knows that despite what they learned long ago, Izumi could never forgive them for going against her teachings. He then changes the subject to who the boy is. That night, the Elrics decide to sneak into the boy’s room to get details, only to find that he wants to play with them. After using alchemy to tie him to the bed with a rope, Ed demands why the boy can use alchemy like he and Izumi and that he knows him from somewhere. However, the boy uses alchemy to bond with the bed, which Ed is unable to do. The noise wakes Izumi, who, after angrily berating the Elrics for their foolish actions, helps the boy return to normal. Izumi and Sig demand an explanation for their meddling and are informed by the Elrics that the boy is probably a Homunculus.
Meanwhile, in Central City, Colonel Mustang observes the Hughes home while Sheska is there visiting with Gracia and Elicia. Sheska notices his presence as he drives away and stumbles as she tries to follow his car, and Mustang decides to let her talk to him. Sheska criticizes Mustang for his lack of interest in Hughes’ murder, and gives Mustang several books of material he observed before continuing his investigation at her house. Meanwhile, over the phone, the Führer’s secretary, aka Sloth, instructs Envy to go after the Elrics while Lust and Gluttony handle Greed, and also advises Envy that they must once again get the Elric brothers back on the Philosopher’s Stone trail while preventing. since the truth about the Ishval Civil War was revealed. The next day, while Winry watches the boy, Ed and Al talk to Izumi and Sig about the Homunculus. They realize that the boy is different from other Homunculi with the ability to perform alchemy and a style that normal alchemists cannot. Ed confirms that only he saw the Gate and could use that knowledge in exchange for learning to create the Blood Rune that attached Al’s soul to the armor at the cost of his arm and leg. Ed also points out that this was the reason he can perform alchemy without a transmutation ring, as well as where he saw the boy. Izumi decides to leave for a moment to check on something and forbids the Elrics from communicating with the boy.
Izumi tells Sig that she’s going alone, and Sig mentions that the Elrics don’t know how Homunculus are born. Back at Central Headquarters, as they unpack their belongings, 2nd Lt. Breda plays a little joke by dressing up as Major Armstrong. Once settled in, Lt. Hawkeye mentions that the real Armstrong is traveling with Hughes’ replacement, Lt. Col. Frank Archer, whom Falman identifies as a man who likes war. On the train heading south, Armstrong questions why he’s going after the Elrics, to which Archer states that he won’t allow them as much freedom as Mustang and Hughes have given them in the past. Back at Dublith, while Mason is guarding their room, he mentions that Izumi is returning to Yock Island for some reason. Al knows something is up, so he secretly transmutes the phone into their room to connect to the room below where Winry and the boy are. As it turns out that his right arm and left leg are weird according to what Winry said, the Elrics burst into the room and confirm it once they see the boy’s right arm bitten by Ed, meaning he has Ed’s lost limbs. . The boy runs away with Ed in pursuit, unaware that they are being followed. Meanwhile, Izumi confirms that her fears are true when she coughs up blood during the investigation.